Partner chainsaw history: dated facts from Norwegian and Swedish museum catalogue records, 1955 to 1990

It sets museum catalogue records side by side, and nothing here ranks one maker against another. The Norwegian and Swedish texts are in those languages: the wording here is our own summary of them.

Dated facts

Partner chainsaw facts in date order, with the page that dates each one
Date	What the source says
1955 to 1956	A Norwegian forestry museum catalogues a Partner C6 made in Mölndal, Sweden, in those years, a one-man saw with a wire starter cord. A note that came with the saw gives a cylinder volume of 98 cubic centimetres, 4.3 horsepower at 3,500 revolutions a minute, and a weight of 15.8 kg, with other sources giving 14.9 kg and 15.2 kg. It runs on petrol mixed with oil at 1 to 12. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.13841.
1955 to 1960	The same museum catalogues a clearing attachment for the Partner C6. It lets the saw engine drive a circular blade at the end of a long steel tube, so that the user can stand more upright while clearing scrub and small trees. The tube carries a shaft from the engine to the blade, a rubber-padded handle, and a cable from an angle gearbox to the engine clutch. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.14332.
1957	A Swedish archive record catalogues a newspaper advertisement placed by Partner in 1957. The record gives no description of the advertisement. Source: DigitaltMuseum record LAMR000548-01.
1958 to 1968	A record catalogues a Partner R11, a one-man saw made in Mölndal with a 22 inch bar, a scoop tooth chain and a bark support. The record gives a two-stroke engine of 90 cubic centimetres, 5 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions a minute, a weight of 9.3 kg and 10.9 kg with a 15 inch bar and full tanks, a petrol tank of 0.9 litres and an oil tank of 0.5 litres. It runs on petrol mixed with oil at 1 to 20, has a diaphragm carburettor, and the oil pump sits on the starter housing. The cylinder stands upright with the muffler at the front. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.13942.
1962 to 1968	A record catalogues a Partner R12 made in Mölndal, with a 22 inch bar, a scoop tooth chain and a bark support. It gives a two-stroke engine of 90 cubic centimetres, 5 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions a minute, a weight of 10.2 kg and 11.3 kg with an 18 inch bar and full tanks, a petrol tank of 0.8 litres and an oil tank of 0.47 litres. The fuel mix is 1 to 25. The front handle has a metal roller at its lower end to ease limbing, and a metal hoop under the rear handle supports the saw on the ground. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.13944.
1967 to 1977	A record catalogues a Partner R16 made in Mölndal, a one-man saw with a bar, chain and plastic chain cover. The record notes wear from use and a starter cord wound around the front handle bar, probably because the starter was faulty. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.10656.
1974 to 1976	A record catalogues a Partner R522 made in Mölndal, with a 22 inch bar, a scoop tooth chain and a guard bar that the record calls a chain brake. It says the R522 has heated handles as standard, with exhaust led from the muffler through hoses to the front and rear handles, and handles joined as one unit and mounted on the engine body through rubber elements that damp vibration. It gives a two-stroke engine of 90 cubic centimetres, 3.4 horsepower at 8,500 revolutions a minute, thyristor ignition, and a weight of 7.7 kg with bar and chain. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.13946.
1980 to 1990	A record catalogues a Partner 500 made in Jonsered, Partille, a one-man semi-professional saw. It has a guard bar and chain brake built into the right side cover, joined handles on rubber elements, a throttle lock in the pistol grip and a right-hand guard. The record gives a two-stroke engine of 49 cubic centimetres, 2.9 horsepower, transistor ignition and a weight of 5.4 kg with a 13 inch bar and chain, also given as 5.9 kg. The petrol tank holds 0.7 litres and the oil tank 0.3 litres. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.13948.
1983	A record catalogues a Partner S55 made in Jonsered, Partille, in 1983, with the maker field naming Electrolux Motor AB. The saw has no bar or chain. The record lists a guard bar and chain brake built into the right side cover, joined handles on rubber elements, a throttle lock and a right-hand guard, and gives a two-stroke engine of 55 cubic centimetres, 3.4 horsepower at 8,300 revolutions a minute, Partner Ignitron transistor ignition and a weight of 7.1 kg with a 13 inch bar and chain. The petrol tank holds 0.75 litres and the oil tank 0.35 litres. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.13947.
Not dated	A Swedish design archive holds a presentation sketch of a Partner 450 chainsaw, credited to the designer Bengt Arvidsson. The record gives no year. Source: DigitaltMuseum record DA2019.3.12. The Norwegian museum also holds a Partner R14 T with a bar, a scoop tooth chain and a white plastic hand bar, with no year given (record SJF.06715).

What the records have in common and where they differ

The records run from a 15.8 kg saw of 1955 with a wire starter cord to a 5.4 kg saw of the 1980s with a chain brake and a 7.1 kg saw of 1983 with one. The R522 record lists a hand guard and a guard bar it calls a chain brake in the 1970s, and the 500 and S55 records list a brake built into the side cover. The records for the C6, R11 and R12 do not mention a brake. The R11 and R12 records each cite a ratio of petrol to oil, 1 to 20 and 1 to 25, and the C6 record gives 1 to 12.

The firm's later ownership is on the page about Husqvarna chainsaw history, where Husqvarna's timeline says Electrolux bought Husqvarna in 1978 and that its outdoor products expanded through purchases such as AB Partner and Jonsereds. How regulators describe brakes is on the page about chainsaw kickback and chain brakes.

To correct or remove an entry, write to the address at the foot of this page.

Partner chainsaw history: dated facts from Norwegian and Swedish museum catalogue records, 1955 to 1990

Dated facts

What the records have in common and where they differ

Sources